Tag: Theology and Spiritual Reflections

It is somewhat unique for me to be asked to contribute to a theological spot. For the past 20-plus years, I have found myself in front of 1200 to 1500 students weekly, talking about our  spirituality. I have also spent time at camps, sport and in the chapel. The choice of words reflecting centuries of theological insight has little if any meaning in this setting. Perhaps some would  say, ‘that is because the words aren’t used enough.’

I’m not convinced. I think Jesus was faced with this same dilemma as he spoke to the foreigner, tax-gatherer, child or outcast each day.

The theme of this issue, being ‘beyond your circle’ prompts us to ask ourselves, ‘how do we relate to others?’ I believe it begins with simply being with them and listening. The gospel often refers  to Jesus knowing what ‘they’ were thinking and then responding. He spoke through story and chose his stories to carry a meaning that they could identify. More importantly, he cared  what they thought and understood. Jesus would speak and tell stories about their world because it was his own incarnation – he was born as one of us.

Our stories at Scotch College are about things that the students are familiar with and to which they can relate. It may be the story of Disney’s animation film, Big Hero 6, or Dido’s song, Life for  Rent. When a School Captain shares his reflections on the ANZAC legend and a student shares a letter written by a young man to his mother from the trenches at Gallipoli – seven days before he  dies – others begin to understand the different ways people sacrifice.

Bono is the lead singer of U2, one of the biggest rock and roll bands in the world. In an interview he describes how he and his wife visited an orphanage in Ethiopia. For a month he and his wife  Ali held babies, helped nurse them back to health, and then donated money to equip the orphanage.

When he returned to Ireland he noticed that the tone of his prayers began to change. They  became more defiant and he found himself accusing God of not caring about the children in Africa. Slowly his accusations began to fade as he sensed God speaking back to him a rebuke, “Bono I  do care… get moving, you do something.”

A little like Moses who protested when God called him, Bono called back to God “I am a rock star, not a social worker!” Eventually, Bono came to see that, rock star or not, God was calling him  to do something about poverty and injustice. This began a remarkable journey that led him to universities, parliaments, Presidential interviews and on a massive campaign to elevate the plight  of the poor.

Someone once said, ‘we are what we eat.’

I am not so sure. Maybe we are who we eat with.

I have shared two meals recently that made me think more deeply about the faith we are called to practice every day. One meal was a breakfast. There were over 100 homeless people present; it  was a fried breakfast, the best kind. It was at Tranby Day Centre, a service provided by UnitingCare West on Aberdeen Street, Perth, just around the corner from the Uniting Church Centre.

It was a Friday summer morning and most of those enjoying the bacon and egg had spent the night out in the park, on a bench or in a shelter if they were lucky. I witnessed an outstanding  ministry that demonstrates in practical ways the care of God and the compassion of Christ. Everyday, God calls us to care about others, especially those who are so easily forgotten or  neglected. One of the traps of living in an affluent and materialistic society is that we can so easily overlook people on the fringes and only eat with people who are like us. Jesus demonstrated a  radical hospitality, dining with all kinds of people.

‘Let’s go back in time and listen to the voices who mocked Jesus. Hard though it is, let’s hear what they said against him and  uncover what it actually means.

Political failure

“Are you the King of the Jews?” asked Pontius Pilate. Did he really want to know, or was he hurling out one of those sick  jokes that come up among soldiers? He could not see a man with an army. His followers, all disappeared by now, are all  ordinary folks and broken people. Is he going to rule the world with that lot?

Pilate thinks a king would gather to himself  unanswerable power, but Jesus does not really give him much of an answer. Political failure? Today, the lasting truth is that  Pilate is gone and the risen Jesus rules billions of souls.

We broken souls have been the bearers of the news of real enduring glory.

A few weeks ago, I had a ‘near miss’ experience. I was driving to an unfamiliar destination and was running late. I was trying to glance at my street directory, as well as keep my eye on the traffic – multiskilling is not one of my gifts. As a consequence to my haste, I nearly clipped a parked car. I pulled over for a moment of reflection, knowing I needed to slow down and get myself a GPS.

One of the enemies of a well-formed Christian life is the foe of too much rush. Going too fast through life eventually ends up  in relational collision or spiritual burnout. One of the arts of staying spiritually centred and balanced, is the art of spiritual  reflection. At best, this is a daily discipline that includes taking time out for intentional prayer, meditative attention to  Scripture and seeking both the refreshment of the Spirit and the discernment of the will of God. I find without moments like  this woven into my day, I am reduced to being in Eugene Peterson’s words, “the busy pastor, rather than the contemplative  pastor”.